The ridiculously warm weather of this non-winter continued
in January 2002. According to the statistics recorded at the Saint
Cloud Municipal Airport, the average January temperature was 21.2
degrees, 12.5 degrees above normal. This warm temperature tied
January 1891 for the fourth warmest January in the 122 years of
Saint Cloud temperature records. January 2002 did fall 0.8 degrees short
of January 1990 which had an average temperature of 22.0 degrees. January
1990 was the second warmest January on record.

There were only three days with below normal average temperatures
during the month: January 1, 2, and 18. There were also only 3 days with
below zero lows during the month. The normal is 16. Itís early, but we have
a chance to break the record for the fewest number of below zero lows. That
record is 16, set in 1997-1998. So far, we have had only 4 days with a low
below zero. In February, Saint Cloud averages 12 days with a below zero low;
the average for March is 3.5 days. So, just having near normal conditions
would bring us very close to this record, and we certainly havenít been
near normal so far this winter.

January 2002 marked the third consecutive incredibly warm month.
November 2001 was the warmest November on record with an average temperature
12.1 degrees above normal. December 2001 was the thirteenth warmest on record
with an average temperature 9.8 degrees above normal. This sustained warmth
made the three-month period of November 1 through January 31 the warmest
November through January period on record in Saint Cloud. The average
temperature of 29.0 degrees beat November 1913 through January 1914
by 0.3 degrees. Our temperature for the past three months averaged 11.7
degrees above normal.

The warm weather came with very little snowfall. Only 3.5 inches
of snow fell in January 2002, the 19th lowest January snowfall total on
record. However, January 1990 was even browner. Only 0.1 inches of snow
fell during January 12 years ago, the lowest January snowfall on record.
Normally, January is the snowiest month of the year, averaging 10.1 inches
per month.

The seasonal snowfall now stands at 18.6 inches. This is
not a record low, since we have had 5 years where the entire seasonal
snowfall was less than 18 inches. The most recent occurrence was
the winter of 1986-1987 when 16.7 inches fell during the whole season.
The most recent relatively snow-less winter was in 1999-2000 when only
28.1 inches fell during the season. In a normal winter, we would double
our current seasonal snowfall by the end of April, but it certainly hasnít
been normal.

The melted precipitation for January 2002 totaled 0.28 inches, the
fourteenth lowest January precipitation on record. Again, January 1990
was drier, producing only 0.06 inches, the third lowest January total on
record.

The net result is that we are having our fourth mild winter
in the past five years. In addition, there are signs that El Nino, the
anomalous current of warm ocean water in the tropical Pacific, has
begun to rise. El Nino has nothing to do with this mild winter, but
could affect next winterís weather. Two SCSU students, Tina Fischer and
, recently researched conditions in Minnesota during an El Nino year.
Both showed that an El Nino event strongly favors a mild winter.
So, if this El Nino gets strong enough, the odds strongly favor another
mild winter in 2002-2003.